In the past decade, healthier “side” options have made their way on to many fast-food children’s menus. Despite their presence, these options are very rarely promoted as the default option. For example, a burger is often automatically paired with fries while other healthier options, like salad or fruit, are difficult to locate on the menu.

Eating out at fast-food restaurants is part of a typical week for many families. Most restaurants focus on pleasing the consumer’s palate, not nutritional value, which generally means meals higher in fat and calories than a home-cooked meal.

Children consume 150 more calories when they eat fast-food over a home-cooked meal. Simple steps, like replacing a sugary beverage with water or opting for a salad instead of fries, can help to counteract the excess calorie intake.

A study led by author Megan Mueller, a researcher at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health in Los Angeles, analyzed 20 difference fast-food menus over an 11-year period. The study was conducted to help understand the introduction of healthier options over time and if they were “featured” on the menu.

Of the 20 fast-food chains that were studied, 30% offered a healthier side as their default option by 2015. “It was surprising to see how much progress these restaurants made in offering healthier sides and beverages as options in children’s meals, but how much more progress still needs to be made in offering these healthier items by default,” Mueller said.

Offering a healthier choice as the default is crucial because it helps us instinctively choose something, but also takes the title of “normal” away from an unhealthy option, like french fries or soda. By labeling calories and steering away from advertising the unhealthier options, we can help steer kids and adults in the right direction.

To learn more: “U.S. fast food chains offering more healthy options for kids” by Reuters

---

Our Diabetes Detective Team scans the diabetes news to discover the most relevant info that Diabetes Educators need in their daily practice. We post one daily Blog Byte from Monday to Friday. And of course, Tuesday is our Question of the Week. It’s Informative and FREE!  Sign up below!

[yikes-mailchimp form=”1″]

Check out our latest Blog Bytes >>

The Question of the Week – June 4th 2019

Join us for the new Boot Camp Series, beginning July 1st, 2019 to include changes to CDCES content outline.

The Diabetes Educator Online Boot Camp offers eight courses, plus a bonus course, “The Big Finish” Test Taking Boot Camp, for a total of 12.75 CEs.

You can also download our free CDCES Coach App!

---

Sign up for Diabetes Blog Bytes – we post one daily Blog Byte from Monday to Friday. And of course, Tuesday is our Question of the Week. It’s Informative and FREE!  Sign up below!

[yikes-mailchimp form=”1″]

Topics covered include:

• Changes in requirements for 2019
• Exam eligibility and test format
• Strategies to succeed
• Review of study tips and test taking tactics.

We will review sample test questions and the reasoning behind choosing the right answers.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Intended Audience: This FREE webinar is designed for individual or groups of diabetes educators, including RNs, RDs, Pharmacists, Nurse Practitioners, Clinical Nurse Specialists, Physician Assistants and other health care providers interested in achieving excellence in diabetes care and becoming Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialists®.

Instructor: Beverly Thomassian RN, MPH, CDCES, BC-ADM is a working educator who has passed her CDCES Exam 6 times. She is a nationally recognized diabetes expert for over 25 years.

See our Preparing for CDCES Resource Page >>

---

Sign up for Diabetes Blog Bytes – we post one daily Blog Byte from Monday to Friday. And of course, Tuesday is our Question of the Week. It’s Informative and FREE!  Sign up below!

[yikes-mailchimp form=”1″]

In previous Diabetes Blog Bytes, we have highlighted the health benefits of spending time in the sun. Now, more data to support sun therapy. “Increased bright sunlight exposure may be associated with a reduced risk for type 2 diabetes and heart disease by lowering blood insulin and lipid levels,” stated Constantinos Christodoulides, MD, PhD, a university research lecturer and honorary consultant in diabetes and endocrinology at the Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism at the University of Oxford, United Kingdom.

This study analyzed over 8,000 healthy participants. The scientist gathered data from body measurements and fasting blood sugar levels. They then juxtaposed this data next to weather measurements in the areas where participants lived.

“Researchers found that each additional 1-hour increase in bright sunlight during the 7 days before blood sampling was associated with a –1.05% decrease in insulin resistance and a –0.54% improvement in beta-cell function .”

Longer exposure to sunlight days prior to blood sampling was also associated with lower LDL cholesterol.

The researchers believe that additional studies should be conducted in order to better understand the correlation.

To learn more: Bright sunlight exposure may decrease risk for type 2 diabetes, CVD – Healio

---

Sign up for Diabetes Blog Bytes – we post one daily Blog Byte from Monday to Friday. And of course, Tuesday is our Question of the Week. It’s Informative and FREE!  Sign up below!

[yikes-mailchimp form=”1″]

How many more people could you reach by tapping into your creativity? Theresa Garnero, APRN, BC-ADM, MSN, CDCES, founder of theSweet People Club, kicked off our Women Leaders Conference with a TED-style presentation and this question. She inspired the audience to incorporate more creativity into their diabetes education approaches. To get the creativity ball rolling, she shared strategies that she uses to provide interactive and fun approaches to diabetes education.

Theresa is a creativity expert. In addition to her numerous degrees and certifications, she is a talented artist, humorist, and cartoonist. She reaches people with prediabetes and diabetes by using creativity as a bridge to build rapport and trust.

Theresa also promotes imaginative expression through movement. As the founder of “Dance Out Diabetes,”  Theresa made a lasting impression on the hundreds of community members who walked through her door. Dance Out Diabetes was a fun dance community made up of all ages, abilities, people with and without diabetes, friends, families, volunteers, and certified diabetes educators. Regular dance programs included ongoing health screenings, a 45-minute dance lesson, and different genres of music. Participants had an opportunity to socialize with peers facing similar challenges in a relaxed and informal setting. Plus, they had improved outcomes.

The Sweet People Club is perfect for people on the go or who can’t afford the time to come in for multiple appointments. The Sweet People Club houses over eighty videos by Theresa and a team of experts, so people with prediabetes can design an individualized program that best matches their needs and interests.

From cartoons to dancing and technology, there are so many ways to build creativity into our diabetes education programs.  Given the diabetes pandemic, incorporating creativity to keep participants engaged is more important now than ever.

The Question of the Week – May 28th, 2019

Sign Up for Diabetes Blog Bytes Today

Do you know the best way to prepare for the CDCES exam? Want more questions like this? Really test your knowledge and prepare with our 1-Year Subscription, with over 36 online courses and 50+ CEs.

You can also download our free CDCES Coach App!

---

Sign up for Diabetes Blog Bytes – we post one daily Blog Byte from Monday to Friday. And of course, Tuesday is our Question of the Week. It’s Informative and FREE!  Sign up below!

[yikes-mailchimp form=”1″]

Preparing for the BC-ADM Exam – What you need to know

May 29th @ 11:30 am – 12:40 pm PST

May 29th, 2019 – 11:30 a.m. – 12:40 p.m. PST

Preparing for the BC-ADM Exam – What you need to know 
Join us for this live webinar 

Becoming BC-ADM is a great achievement for diabetes educators with an advanced degree in their field and a professional license as an advanced practice nurse, registered dietitian, or registered pharmacist. The scope of advanced diabetes practice includes patient management skills such as medication adjustment, medical nutrition therapy, exercise planning, counseling for behavior management and psychosocial issues.

Attaining optimal metabolic control in the diabetic client may include treatment and monitoring of acute and chronic complications. This webinar will review changes in requirements for 2019, exam eligibility and test format, strategies to succeed along with a review of study tips and test-taking tactics. We will review sample test questions and the reasoning behind choosing the right answers. We hope you can join us for this webinar.  Click here for a bunch of free resources, a reading list and to register for FREE Webinar.

---

Sign up for Diabetes Blog Bytes – we post one daily Blog Byte from Monday to Friday. And of course, Tuesday is our Question of the Week. It’s Informative and FREE!  Sign up below!

[yikes-mailchimp form=”1″]

The Question of the Week – May 21st, 2019

Sign Up for Diabetes Blog Bytes Today

Do you know the best way to prepare for the CDCES exam? Want more questions like this? Really test your knowledge and prepare with our 1-Year Subscription, with over 36 online courses and 50+ CEs.

You can also download our free CDCES Coach App!

---

Sign up for Diabetes Blog Bytes – we post one daily Blog Byte from Monday to Friday. And of course, Tuesday is our Question of the Week. It’s Informative and FREE!  Sign up below!

[yikes-mailchimp form=”1″]